07/25/12 07/25/12 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica, this is "democracy now!" >> let me say five words we have not been able to say for too long, "welcome to the united states." >> the international aids conference returns to the united states after the obama administration lifted a two- decade ban barring people with hiv from entering the country. 34 million people are infected globally. we will speak with dr. elly katabira from uganda, co-chair of the aids conference and president of the international

aids society. >> ending the epidemic will be difficult. [unintelligible] the best example has been said before, nobody thought we would and a barrel drugs, but we have them. >> an to calcutta, india. sex workers are barred from entering u.s. and holding alternative conference. we will take a look at the aids epidemic in black america and speak with congress member barbara lee of california. >> we need to make some noise. we need to put eradicating hiv and aids at the front burner of our political agenda, both here and abroad. >> all that and more coming up. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman.

syrian troops continue to bombard the city of aleppo in a bid to reclaim areas held by rebel forces. there have been reports of syrian helicopters backed by fighter jets firing from above, forcing hundreds of residents to flee. and allepo resident said syrian forces had fired indiscriminately, killing civilians. >> two brothers and their uncles were killed, another is between life and death. tend shells on a daily basis and this village has not had any sign of armed groups. we are targeted only because we call for freedom. >> speaking in washington, secretary state clinton said of killing of syrian president bashar al-assad is inevitable and he still has time to begin a political transition. >> we do believe that it is not

regime for the al-assad to commence with planning for a transition, to find a way that ends the violence by beginning the kind of serious discussions that have not occurred to date. >> new data shows the surface of greenland's ice sheet melted over the course of four days this month to an extent not seen a more than three decades of monitoring. according to nasa, from july 8 to july 12, the thawed area jumped from 40% to 97%, meaning nearly the entire ice sheet surface had thawed. all of about half the service of greenland's ice sheet melts on average each summer, but scientists have called this month's thaw extraordinary. the unprecedented thaw comes after a chunk of ice twice the size of manhattan detached from

greenland's peterman glacier earlier this month. for our in-depth coverage of climate change and extreme weather, you can go to our website at democracynow.org. protests continue for a fourth day in anaheim, california tuesday after police there fatally shot two latino men over the weekend. riot police fired bean bags and pepper balls at protesters gathered outside city hall as council members inside voted unanimously to ask u.s. attorney's office to investigate the shootings. protesters and police continued to clash late into the evening. five people were arrested, and least one injured after being shot in the head with a pepper ball. the protests in anaheim erupted after police shot and killed an unarmed man on saturday after he reportedly ran away from a group of officers who confronted him read the following day, joel acevedo was shot dead by police who claimed he was suspected in

a car robbery. for full coverage of shootings from tuesday's broadcast, go to democracynow.org. local weapons dealers and government officials are reporting a spike in gun sales and colorado in the aftermath of last week's shooting rampage in aurora. the number of potential gun owners seeking background checks increased 43% over the weekend from the week before. on tuesday, the star of "the dark knight rises" the film's screening the attack occurred, visited survivors and their families at a local hospital. a former top-ranking clergyman of the roman catholic church of pennsylvania has been sentenced up to six years in prison for covering up child abuse by philadelphia priests. monsignor william lynn was found guilty of hiding the molestation by transfering predatory priests to unsuspecting congregations. he is the highest-ranking u.s. church official to be convicted of covering up child abuse to

date. the justice department has unveiled an agreement with the city of new orleans to reform the city's beleaguered police department. known as the consent decree, the deal imposes hundreds of new policies overseeing police actions including use of force, searches, seizures, arrests, and interrogations'. new orleans police officers have been linked to a number of cases of unlawful force and even covering up their crimes, including the shooting deaths of two people on the danzinger bridge in the aftermath of hurricane katrina. a justice department probe last year found corruption and dysfunction in nearly every area of the new orleans police. on the campaign trail, republican candidate mitt romney addressed a gathering of the veterans of foreign wars on tuesday in reno. romney's the address to criticize the open administration's record on security leaks and foreign policy. >> the president's policies have made it harder to recover from the deepest recession in 70 years, exposed the military to

cuts that no unjustified, compromised our national security secrets. and in dealings with other nations, he has given trust where it is not earned, in salt where it was undeserved, an apology or is not do. >> romney departs today for foreign trip to britain, poland, and israel. the first court-martial for eight u.s. soldiers charged in the death of army private danny chen has begun at north carolina's fort bragg. the 19-year-old chinese- american, chen allegedly took its own life just weeks after he was deployed to afghanistan last october. his family says chen had been abused on an almost daily basis, including racist hazing with soldiers throwing rocks at him, calling him ethnic slurs, and forcing him to do pushups or hang upside down with his mouth full of water. all eight accused soldiers were his superiors in rank. the first shoulder to stand trial assurgent adam michael holcomb, is one of the five

soldiers whose multiple charges include the serious offense of causing his death through negligence. on tuesday, the military court heard testimony from chen's mother who called him "the best son in the world." for undocumented residents of arizona were arrested on tuesday after publicly revealing their immigration status outside the discrimination trial of maricopa county sheriff joe arpaio. plaintiffs represented by civil rights groups are accusing arpaio of violating the rights of latinos by systematically targeting them for traffic stops and detention. as the case continued inside the courtroom, the four unfurled a banner reading "no papers, no fear close co before being arrested. in a statement, the group said -- the united nations forces fired

on rebels in the democratic republic of congo after new fighting between rebels and government backed troops. backed by neighboring rwanda, the rebels have clashed with loyalist forces since april, causing some 260,000 people to flee their homes. , has sworn in vice-president as its new head of state after the sudden death of president john adams else. the 68-year-old died unexpectedly tuesday after complaining of chest pains. yet on the recent return from a trip to the u.s. for medical tests. the new york times has revealed the u.s. has expanded its controversial drug war to africa. the u.s. has begun training an elite group of anti-drug police in ghana and planning other similar units to combat latin cartels allegedly smuggling cocaine into europe. the top drug enforcement administration official said africa has seen as "the new frontier in terms of counterterrorism and counter narcotics issues." the west africa corporative

--su despite widespread criticism for the cause. the u.s. war on drugs has seen an earlier expansion in central america. most recently, dea agents have been under scrutiny for being involved in at least three fatal killings in honduras. the online whistleblower wikileaks has announced it has hired the trouble is in spanish judge garzón to have the legal team representing the site and its founder, julian assange. the recently met at the ecuadorian embassy in london, where assange has sought political asylum to avoid extradition to sweden. garzón is down for taking an international human-rights cases with actions including ordering the arrest of former chilean dictator and a jets, 1998, indicting osama bin laden for 9/11, and probing the abuse of u.s. prisoners of guantanamo bay. those are some of the headlines.

this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. >> welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. the world's largest international aids conference has kicked off in the united states for the first time in 22 years. over 20,000 people from run the world -- including top scientists, diplomats, activists, and celebrities -- are in a washington, d.c. for the week-long gathering. the epidemic continues to affect more than 34 million people worldwide. according to the united nations, there were 1.7 million aids- related deaths last year, down from 2.3 million in 2005. addressing the opening session, secretary of state hillary clinton applauded the obama administration's reversal of a two-decade ban that prevented people infected with hiv from entering the u.s. >> let me say five words we have not been able to say for too long, "welcome to the united

states." i have heard a few voices from people raising questions about america's commitment to an aids- free generation, wondering whether we are really serious about achieving it. well, i am here today to make it absolutely clear. the united states isand will reo achieving an aids-free generation. we will not back off. we will not back down. we will fight for the resources necessary to achieve this historic milestone. >> will hillary clinton praised the lifting of the travel ban on people infected with hiv in 2009, the obama administration is facing criticism for refusing to allow foreign sex workers and drug users into the country to attend the conference. later in the show, we will go to calcutta, india where sex workers are holding an alternative aids conference. on tuesday, hundreds of

protesters took to the streets of washington, calling for robin hood tax on wall street transaction to fund global aids programs. the protesters tied red ribbons on pouches containing money, medicine bottles, clean syringes and condoms -- all symbols of the battle against hiv/aids -- to the white house fence. a dozen or arrested for sitting on the sidewalk in front of the white house after police repeatedly told them to leave. >> we are going to washington, d.c., where we're joined by dr. elly katabira, co-chair of the aids conference. and we're joined by melissa gira grant, an independent journalist covering the aids conference in washington, d.c. 4 "the nation" magazine. we welcome you both to "democracy now!" let's begin with dr. elly katabira. the significance of this 19th annual conference being held in washington, d.c., after decades

of banning people with aids from being able to come into the country, aids and hiv. >> it is very significant. we know very well the u.s. people have been supporting the cause of aids/hiv for a long time, however, we have been unable to come here to show our appreciation rid the lifting of the band has and a possible. this particular conference, for the first time it has more americans than ever 7% of the participants. when the conference was being held outside, only a limited number of people could be allowed. now they are all here and to gather we are -- to gather we are being able to express our experiences together. >> number of global organization said the congress should not be held in the u.s. because it

still includes -- excludes two of the most impact to groups, drug users and sex workers'. >> this is true, but i think we need to appreciate the difference between the band of hiv-infected people and the exclusion of people who are sex workers and people who use drugs. there may be a difference between the two that one, for example, -- drug abuse is a criminal offense. being hiv infected is not a criminal offense. we are still working on the ban against the sex workers and the drug users, but it takes time and requires congress to be involved [unintelligible] >> melissa gira grant, i was wondering if you could describe what is happening outside the conference, the protest there.

in the next segment, we will be going to calcutta, india to speak with the sex workers who are banned from coming into the u.s. where there holding that alternative conference. melissa, the protest outside yesterday? >> yesterday at the white house there were coalitions of sex workers, activists who use drugs and sell sex to earn a living, who were highlighting these issues saying it is the criminalization of selling sex and using drugs contributed to the hiv epidemic. so there is no way to reach an aids-free generation so long as these criminal laws are in place. when they placed condoms and money and keys at the white house, these were gestures to call attention to the criminalization of sex workers, drug use, and call for increased access to housing and health care. >> who are the key constituencies impacted by hiv /aids who are represented inside the conference?

>> inside the conference, unfortunately, we are not seeing as much represented -- representation from the key groups including transgender people, sex workers. in the u.s., it was difficult for those constituencies to attend the conference as well. >> let's talk, dr. elly katabira, about the access to health care and medications around the world for people dealing with hiv/aids. you have been a long time pioneer in uganda, setting up the first aids clinic, was some 30 years ago. >> it is still a problem, but we're much better off today. most african countries, let's take uganda, we have access to the entire barrel drugs. only able to put about 58% or so on these drugs. the main problem is the health

systems. much of our systems have been run down and they need to be made better. also, the distances between people and the units, particularly in rural areas. it is better than 10 years ago. >> dr. elly katabira all the new infections are down by 20% since 2001. a new study finds drug- resistant-hiv has been increasing in many parts of sub- saharan africa. do you know what accounts for this? >> unfortunately, that is true and it is very worrying. some of the reasons are that many who are on treatment now are advancing to triple therapy.

it is not necessarily because of the patients, but the in perfect health systems. there are many cases in our parts of the world where drugs run out at a time when people should be continuing to have drugs. the reason why the runout is mainly because of logistics, poor planning, so some of the efforts we are doing now is to insure that health workers and administrators and policymakers put in place a system which would make it easier to have, even the drugs within the country, available at places where they should be. >> melissa gira grant, the issues of brand vs. generic drugs, the activism to force corporations to lower the prices of drugs? >> there were activists at the white house yesterday arrested wearing lab coats, doctors representing the rights of patients have access to drugs that are affordable to them. i also spoke with an alliance who was arrested at the white

house who pointed out the strategy to get to an aids-free generation if we're simply relying on getting expensive drugs in the people's body is not a comprehensive strategy. we do not want to rely on a one- pronged approach that has the potential to increase well for pharmaceutical companies at the expense of people living with hiv. they're advocating for an approach that goes just above that -- goes above and beyond of just getting drugs into the body. they're looking at the structural causes that have allowed atv to grow from simply of buyers into an epidemic. they're holding a focus on that. there is a huge representation from drug companies and corporations. chevron has the corporate logo on a portion of the aids quilt. i am not quite sure what that represents. this kind of comfort with hiv is not necessarily what activists have been able to get wind from. we might still need to be uncomfortable.

it is troubling to see such corporate representation in the space. >> what exactly are the pharmaceutical companies who are at the conference, what are the advocating for? >> there are panels really focused on development of drugs, including preventive prophylactics, which would be travada, recognized as having a preventative hiv a fact that you could take before exposure to hiv. also discussion of vaginal microbicides and reptile across besides, which -- rectal microbicides. it is disturbing for some read it could actually increase people's exposure to hiv. is a difficult relationship between folks on the ground,

community health workers and some farms ago companies that would like to see these prevention tools in the field where the community health workers say we need to test these and real world environment and make sure something like a gel could be useful. >> i want to turn to the only person thought to have been cured of aids, a san francisco man who spoke tuesday on the sidelines of the conference in washington, d.c., timothy ray brown also known as the berlin patient, said he was proof a cure is possible. >> my case, my history is proof and concept that hiv can be cured. hope is alive and here is on the horizon. -- and cure is on the horizon. as with any major development, particularly one largely unforeseen by most of the public

and the medical community, there is undoubtedly a certain amount of skepticism. that is the way science progresses. i've entered a new phase as a leader in the fight for innovative research that will lead to a cure. it is my hope that my life and story will inspire others to follow the same path, a path to a cure. a cure that will help everybody. >> that was timothy ray brown, also known as the berlin patient, who had stem cell therapy. dr. elly katabira, can you respond to what happened to him and the fact he says he was cured? >> well, the patient had hiv and was on anti barrel their peak, the developed leukemia.

-- antiviral, and then developed leukemia. they had to treat the leukemia. it was require that he be given a bone marrow transplantation, which was successful. fortunately for him, the bone marrow donor had the cells' which were resistant to the -- which was resistance for the virus. as a result, the continued the antiviral therapy and then stopped. that is why he is saying and we are saying he is cured. of course, it is a challenge to the scientists to make sure we follow up the expectation of a

cure. definitely, it is not feasible at the moment to be giving bone marrow transplantation for every hiv infected person. but there are other avenues. there are studies being done looking at looking at gene therapy, whereby you create the same sort of cells we transfused to him by deleting the appropriate gene. it is still highly technical, but it leads to additional research. we are very glad there is a call to followscientists that, to ensure the possibilities as a way of inducing it, creating a cure.

one is eradication of the virus, but also the possible solution that there is no more active a virus coming up, as it happens in most patients or on treatment. >> dr. elly katabira i want to ask you, there is as many as 90% of children living with hiv in sub-saharan africa. what do you hope to get out of this conference to help children who are affected in regions like sub-saharan africa? >> the good thing about children, is very possible to transmit hiv, much easier than adults. they're treating others said they do not pass it to their unborn children. this has been proven before and is possible. one way -- and i hope this conference will energize all

help workers administrators to implement the prevention of mother to child strategies which have been advocated. we recommend people should have the option b plus, whereby all mothers who are pregnant, once you discover your pregnant and are hiv infected, you are put on treatment it once or viral load is undetectable, the chances of transmitting the virus to her unborn child is very much minimal. this is possible and i hope this conference will energize everybody to follow this good news. >> dr. elly katabira, thank you for being with us, heading back to chair a session, president of the international aids society professor of medicine at the college of health sciences at mcqueary university in uganda. and melissa gira grant, independent journalist, covering the conference for "the

nation's crime next, we're headed to indian creek sex workers were banned from attending the conference are holding an alternative conference. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> "the last song" elton john reed he dedicated this song to ryan wright, the american teenager who became a poster child of hiv/aids in the u.s. after being expelled from middle school because of his infection from a blood transfusion for his hemophilia. ryan white went on to become a spokesperson for aids research and public education. he died in 1990 -- one month before his eyes graduation. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. >> the voices of many of those most affected by the global of a gimmick have been excluded from the conference. u.s. travel restriction bars foreign sex workers and drug users from entering the u.s. unless they can obtain a waiver.

while the obama administration as lifted a ban blocking people with hiv from entering the country, the u.s. still denies entry to people with a history drug abuse and or addiction that engaged of prostitution in the past decade. the exclusion of foreign sex workers from the international aids conference comes after a landmark study published earlier this year in the lancet found female workers the all-sex workers are 14 times more likely to be infected with hiv than women in the general population. it also comes on the heels of a report from human rights watch that found police in major u.s. cities are hindering hiv prevention efforts and -- by confiscating condoms from some workers and even arresting them for having the condoms. >> sex workers and their allies have refused to be shut out of the global conversation. they've set up a six-day alternative conference call, the sex worker freedom festival, now under way in calcutta, india. they have been video linking with the man converts in washington, d.c. as well as

holding on conference -- conversations about hiv and sex workers' rights. we're joined by meena seshu, general secretary of santorum, a grassroots group working for the rights of sex workers and people with hiv/aids in india. she addressed the international aids conference two years ago in vienna. and we're joined by annah pickering, a former sex worker and regional manager for the auckland branch of the new zealand prostitutes collective. we welcome you to "democracy now!" meena seshu, your in your own country, why are you not at the conference? >> they will not allow me and my co-workers to enter the u.s. the global aids conference has been going on for 25 years. scientists, planners, people most at risk to hiv need it and planning in helping to root out

hiv. unfortunately, the u.s. government is part of this. this year, this conference, we have been kept out. sex workers are in the forefront of fighting this epidemic all over the world. it is unfortunate u.s. government has kept us out of this and not allow us to enter the united states. >> what is your message to the people in washington, d.c., particularly, talk about the work you're doing in india right now. >> i work with collective of sex workers in western india. we have been fighting this epidemic for 20 years now. we do target intervention. the problem is, governments do not realize they have to havhels fight the epidemic. state violence, and other

violence is escalating. if you have a condom, you are picked up and arrested as being a sex worker. we are having to deal with a flawed policy, flawed practice, so we end up with flawed hiv programming. sex workers have to be at the forefront of this epidemic. i mean, they have to fight the epidemic and are not being given a chance. they are not being given a fair chance. >> what are some of the problems the have encountered in working with sex workers in india in terms of health services and treatment access? >> stigma, discrimination, more policing. we are fighting for the police to treat them with dignity and respect. the problem is the police are following what is known as the amoral traffic prevention act, which is the act under which sex work is dealt with.

unfortunately, trafficking is a criminal offense and looked at as an immoral trafficking act. so sex workers are immoral, the disease [unintelligible] it is considered in the moral disease. health authorities do not give us the kind of respect we need to fight this disease. >> annah pickering, i want to bring into the conversation. you are at this alternative conference since you cannot get into the united states. did you apply to try to come to the conference from new zealand? >> no, we did not apply. once we heard some of our members have been refused entry into the united states, then we had to go to plan b, which is why we are in calcutta. >> tell us about the policy of

new zealand. what does that mean that sex work, prostitution, is decriminalize? >> new zealand, a pacific nation, has decriminalized sex work. it means it has removed most of the laws against adult consentual sex, then the -- living off the earnings of soliciting and prostitution. >> what do you mean by sex work? >> what we mean is sex work is work. it is a job. it is protected under the law. you can go to the police for any type of violence that may have. also, there is the labor rights are protected under occupational safety the labor department has a manual which clearly states how sex workers can work safely in their environment weather is on the streets or in a brothel. >> annah pickering, new zealand

was not only the only country published first country to decriminalize sex work in 2003, but the first country the world to introduce legal and nationwide needle exchanges. can you say a little bit about how this came about? >> what happened in the early 1980's was there was an hiv scare. part of the movement was [unintelligible] sex workers got together to formalize a group, approach the government about making reforms to pass a law that discriminates drug users and sex workers, and part of the movement followed austerity and created the needle exchange program, which is still running and very successful. 26 years later. that is what is happening. >> meena seshu, i want to ask you about the u.s. anti

prostitution loyalty oath. any sale of about the significance of that? >> unfortunately, the u.s. has linked this pledge to funding and is called the [unintelligible] nobody who can get money or usaid money connection work with sex workers because you have to sign on same you're against the committed date your working with. if you're working with the community of sex workers, you have to sign of saying you are against them, against trafficking, and against sexual abuse. the problem is, the u.s. law has leveled sex work considered trafficking and sexual abuse and all of it is placed on the same platter of sexual violence, which is not true. this is something we are

struggling against same sex work is work, not violence and not trafficking. >> i will ask this to both of you, those who say decriminalization of sex worker, a prostitution, could lead to the exploitation of vulnerable women and girls? >> i would like to challenge whoever said that. in new zealand, we of academic research that backs the evidence that criminalization -- decriminalization works. violence does not stop, the sex workers can report violence. the other thing, sex workers are no longer criminalize for carrying condoms, which is part of their job of preventing hiv. the other thing under decriminalization, sex workers can also educate their clients by using condoms and also would prevent hiv and sexually transmitted diseases.

>> we work through collective models to be organized sex workers. we have found this collective model routes out trafficking. we can work to reaching out trafficking. who is being exploited urging the exportation it makes more sense that we work with sexual groups [unintelligible] >> thank you both for being with us, for breaking the sound barrier, joining us here in the u.s. via "democracy now!" videostream from calcutta, india, where you're holding this alternative conference. also in ukraine, another conference there. drug users, people dealing with drugs were also not allowed into

this country, holding a public conference. meena seshu grassroots group working for rights of sex workers and people with hiv/aids in india, and annah pickering, former sex worker and regional manager for the auckland branch of the new zealand prostitutes collective. we will be back in a moment. ♪ [music break]

>> this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. >> we return to the 19th international aids, is underway in washington, d.c. the event has raised hopes the u.s. will increase its efforts to end the epidemic both globally and here at home. every 10 minutes, someone in the u.s. is infected with hiv. many people living with the virus don't even know it. people of color, especially women and gay men, bear the overwhelming burden of the disease.

>> studies show about half of americans living with aids are in the south. according to a 2010 human rights watch report, the region has the highest rate of new infections, the most aids deaths, and a large number of adults and teenagers living with hiv/aids. the southern epidemic reflects a national trend that women of color account for 70% of new hiv infections among women. we're joined now by dazon dixon diallo, a pioneer in the hiv/aids and reproductive justice arena. she founded sisterlove in 1989. dazon dixon diallo, welcome to "democracy now!" from washington, d.c., where you are attending the conference bridge to ellis the message you are bringing from the south. one-third of the country's population is in the south, but more than half of the new hiv /aids infections are occurring

in the south of the united states. >> absolutely. it is such a pleasure to be with you. thank you. my organization sisterlove, we arrived at the international aids congress with a delegation of about 15 women, half of whom are living with hiv both from the u.s. and south africa of. there are three things we framed our purpose for coming to this conference. one, in its international meeting in the last 22 years that it has not been held here in the u.s., women of color, poor people, people of color in general affected by hiv in the u.s. have been virtually invisible because we don't get to travel and attend a lot of these conferences in large numbers enough to represent the situation going on in the u.s., particularly in the south. the second reason is to literally bring the voice of women of color in the south to say we have been largely ignored at home domestically despite the fact we have largely

disproportionate numbers of women at risk and living within -- women living with hiv. wheat mirror experience of a lot of our counterparts and sisters in the global south. we're here to exemplify the bridge between the deep south and the global south. thirdly, it is to amplify the fact the intersection of many issues of reproductive justice, including sexual reproductive health and rights, the ending of violence against women, and increasing the access to education prevention, treatment, and care for women at risk of hiv, and women living with hiv are all critically intersected issues and we take a human rights look at these issues. we have come here to make sure that message is finally heard loud and clear. that the rest of the world does not see the u.s. as the shining panacea of how we get the hiv story right. because we are not.

we are behind in intercepting these issues for women so we can advance the strategies that are not working in other areas and other regions, and also to share -- that are working in other areas in other regions. >> we're joined by barbara lee of california. she's been a leader in the global fight against hiv/aids and work to establish a national age strategy. she is the u.s. representative on the u.n. development programs global commission on hiv and the law. last week she introduced h.r. 6138 calling for global strategy for an aids-free generation. >> congressmember barbara lee, welcome to "democracy now!" explain what this legislation is all about. >> this is the next step in our global response, which means we have included the domestic issues and epidemic as well as international. in fact, one of the reasons we really wanted to have the conference here -- and i wanted

think sister love and the activists who helped me with the travel ban -- because it is so important the voices of african americans and people of color and women of color in our own country be put now on the international stage and put front and center in a response. so my legislation really puts this in context. it says we have to remove stigma as it relates to men who have sex with men, as relates to injecting drug users, as relates to sex workers, that we adopt comprehensive sex education, that we have to address and marginalized communities with targeted resources. that is the next step both here at home and abroad. >> barbara lee, could you elaborate on the racial dimension of hiv/aids infections here in the u.s.? there are over a million americans living with the virus and there disproportionately african-american >> and that is tragic. we see the same disparities here as we see everywhere in the

world, in fact, a continuation of racial and ethnic and justice. when you look at the fact that african-americans, for example, account for approximately 14% of the population, well, over 50% of the infections are african- american. when you look at the fact african-american women constitute about two-thirds of the new infection, when you look at the south and what is taking place in seven states, you're looking at huge, huge disparities. we're going to address this. we will have to have a comprehensive strategy that recognizes the racial disparities exist and target resources toward that. , we will never see an aids-free generation. i think we're at a tipping point and we can do it. thank goodness, this conferences here in our own country, and we are raising these issues over and over again throughout the conference and hopefully, by legislation will move ahead and we have to build support for that kind of comprehensive bill.

>> congressmember lee, i want to play a comment from phil wilson of the black aids institute speaking monday about access to treatment for hiv positive americans. >> the bottom line in the richest nation on the planet, barely one-quarter of the people with hiv are fully effective treatment. more than 70% are either not on treatment at all, were on [unintelligible] treatment. it is bad for them and bad for everyone else. when they're not on treatment, they are much more likely to spread the virus. >> phil wilson of the black aids institution addressing a conference in washington, d.c. your response? >> he is right. he is, quitein the struggle. there have been waiting lists in a variety of states for people who need treatment, need access to these antiretroviral drugs to our not available the access.

the affordable care act finally included provisions where now people will be part of this new health care system. but also we have been working to try to make sure the resources are there to eliminate these long waiting lists for treatment. my bill calls for the elimination of the waiting list, and to fund everyone whether they have money or not, access to drugs. i mean, that is just basic in order to live a long and healthy life. but i am pleased the obama administration has come forward and develop a national hiv/aids strategy and putting resources into the areas of our country where in fact the waiting lists should now begin to be reduced and eliminated. we have to do that. we have to do that. >> congressmember lee, can you talk about another piece of legislation, h.r. 3053 the year introduced last year, the repeal of the hiv discrimination act. >> let me say, i am part of the

united nations global commission on hiv. one of those issues we look at around the world -- and so delighted we were able to take a look at america -- we have 34 states and two territories that have discriminatory laws on the books which were developed way back in the early 1980's. they criminalize people who have the virus and subject to prosecution. we have one individual, i believe in texas, in prison, at a 35-year sentence because he spat on a police officer and did not even have the virus. there are laws on the books that have to be repealed. of legislation requires the department of justice put resources into helping the states. the federal government cannot repeal these laws, that through my legislation, we could help state-by-state get these laws of the book so people can come aboard. we have here in stigma and discrimination, people are not going to come forward and be tested. they will not disclose their

status. we want people to come out of the shadows and realize once tested and treated, they can live long and healthy lives. >> we're talking to congress member barbara lee and dazon dixon diallo, founder of sisterlove in georgia. i want to ask you about the supreme court decision on the affordable care act and what it means for people living with hiv/aids? >> >> i want to follow but she was talking about with criminalization and how it is tied to the conversation with the sisters from new zealand and india in that right now we have an opportunity in getting people treated and tested. criminalization of people living with hiv is counterproductive to helping us get to zero. in addition to that, the affordable care act has been really important part of the success of getting people living with hiv/aids for whom many are

diagnosed with pre-existing conditions, to protect them in health insurance coverage in the expansion of medicaid would actually include a lot of people living with hiv who are currently living and getting their treatment through the ryan white care act, which expires in 2013. so we have to look at what ryan white care has done as a primary care and last purveyor of support for the poorest americans it infected with hiv/aids and how they will be included in the affordable care act. while we are appreciative their summit things, such as preventive services around hiv in sexually transmitted infections and contraception and family planning as well as much as prevention and counseling, at the same time, with the supreme court decision giving states the opportunity to opt out of that expansion, which still might exclude 17 million americans -- the problem with that, as you're

talking about the problems in the south, is that most of the states, if not all of these states in the south, are already currently planning to knock off in on the medicaid expansion. that directly speaks to the level of access to care and the coverage of medications that most people who have lived in, or live below the poverty line can actually afford. it shows we still have a lot of work to go through or to do to make sure the affordable care act is implemented in full. it speaks to the needs of having a health care law that is still decided, at this point after the supreme court, now state-by- state and not universally applied across the country, is that we also want have a universal opportunity to curb the tide on hiv on the spread of hiv, and that speaks back to phil wilson's message that if we cannot get people into treatment, if we cannot get women to care, then we are losing the battle of preventing the transmission.

>> congressmember early, i want you to comment on white dazon said. in washington, d.c., the prevalence of hiv is higher than in the congo, ethiopia, nigeria, or rwanda. even though rates have fallen in 33 countries, in the u.s., the rate of hiv infection, 50,000 a year, has remained stable since the 1990's. can you say a little bit about why that may be the case and whether the affordable care act might improve those statistics? >> we have a lot of work to do. first of all, there is the needle exchange band. that is outrageous. some and injecting drug users -- so many injecting drug users need help and assistance to transition off of drug use. men who have sex with men. people have not allowed for funding initiatives that would

really address marginalized individuals, people who really need to be included in all of our strategy is. there has been stigma and discrimination in our whole system. that is part of what we are trying to do at this conference. i have to say, these states opting out of the medicaid provision? elections have consequences. i have been urging for 20 years for people who are involved in the movement, aids activists, political action is extremely important because we have to hold these governors and states accountable. they cannot just allow people to fall by the wayside. we have an affordable care act. states should be pleased they're getting the resources to be about to turn this around. we have states opting out? if there's any message i want to be put our domestic activists and our people who are here at the conference is, go back to your states and hold these elected officials accountable. register to vote and get

involved in these elections, because this is unconscionable what is taking place now. >> i want to play more from mr. wilson addressing the conference in washington, d.c. on monday. >> everyone living with hiv must come out. we all must come out. living openly and proudly with hiv, not only confront hiv stigma -- [applause] but it also helps build demand for services. openly hiv-positive people serve as living, a compelling reminders of their knowing their hiv status. and it also communicates it is possible to live a full, healthy life with hiv, and that is important. [applause] when you come out about your hiv status, you not only save your life, but you say the other

lives as well. >> that was the wilson of the black aids institute. dazon dixon diallo, i want us to bring -- bring us back to the south and the growing hiv infection rate of gay black men in the south and the significance of this and what is being done about it. >> absolutely. i just have to say, phill is one of my heroes, and absolute war year. being in this movement with people like mr. wilson have stood on the front line for people living with hiv as a gay black man living with hiv has been amazing in terms of helping us mobilize in are different regions. we worked at partnership with the black trim and advocate that worked for that very purpose. we also produce our own video work to make sure that women who are facing stigma and shame and disclosure are able to have outlets to do exactly what phill was talking about. i think what is challenging for us in the south, the stigma

around hiv is not just a virus itself, but for young, gay black men, the sexual stigma and a very conservative region of the country. and an area where coming out, even about our sexuality, is very, very difficult, if possible, at all. what we have lacked overtime is the inclusion of education in our schools, a comprehensive prevention, intervention for young gay men of color and young men have sex with men. we don't have support systems for these young men. their families are often not educated or aware or informed enough to give them the support they need to practice safer behavior. so we are really looking at what new interventions or what homegrown intervention around the south has been developed. >> we have to leave it there, dazon dixon diallo and congressmembarararararararararar